About Cody Sand - Principal Consultant and Managing Member at Sandtoken

Hey there, I'm Cody, the Principal Consultant and Software Architect founder at Sandtoken. What follows is a very long read, but also a very in-depth look at how I got here.

Origin

1987-2010

I am a native of Dubuque, IA, a graduate of University of Wisconsin–Platteville's Computer Science program.

First laying hands on a computer back in the mid-1990s; I was immediately hooked.

I built my first website back in ~1999, a few months before unintentionally broke AOL's ToS by forwarding a pirated copy of Visual Basic 4 to someone else while on a mission to learn how to develop "progz" for AOL.

At age 11, and without an AOL account to run "progz", I gave up the idea of trying to learn to code. I pivoted towards creating Flash animations and crazy graphics with Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop 5.5 (which I kept my parents' dial-up connection live for 24 hours to pirate -- Adobe has more than made their money back from me 😅)

A four year stint at Best Buy as a Geek Squad Agent at the end of high school put me on the path to a Computer Science degree (mostly because I had no idea then that "Computer Science" has almost nothing to do with computer repair). It also taught me how to deal with customers who are having the worst day of their month.

Cartegraph

Now a division of OpenGov

2010-2022

After graduating from UWP, I spent 12 years working at Cartegraph designing and building their then-cutting-edge operations management system, breaking ground on flagship features such as runtime-customizable metadata-driven architecture, UX-friendly data visualization, third-party login, data-binding/form validation, and client-side routing/navigation.

Sandtoken

2016-Present

My journey in tech led me to founding Sandtoken in 2016. Since then, I've had the privilege of developing solutions for industry leaders like John Deere, educational institutions such as Loras College, public service entities like Dubuque County Library District, and marketing agencies such as McCullough Creative. As a former Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer, I've maintained a commitment to technical excellence while embracing modern development practices and emerging technologies.

Day Jobs

Always and Forever?

Until I land my whale client, I do not depend on the freelance software development services I provide to make ends meet. I'm merely filling a gap in talent for companies in places like Dubuque (and Galena, IL -- and Platteville, WI -- and other cities in the IL/WI/IA tri-state region) that have a shortage of high-quality technologists.

I spend my days working at Esri building platform-level functionality for ArcGIS for Microsoft 365 integrations, including Excel, Sharepoint, Power BI, Teams, and Power Automate.

Focused On

Currently

My technical toolkit is comprehensive and constantly evolving. Currently, I specialize in:

Modern frontend development with React, TypeScript, and Next.js
Robust backend solutions using Node.js and various database technologies
Process automation and disparate systems integrations
Cloud infrastructure and serverless applications on AWS and DigitalOcean

Software Engineering

Buzzwords

Frontend Technologies: React, Redux, Zustand, RxJS, Angular, SASS/CSS, Next.js, PayloadCMS, React SSR, FluentUI 2, MobX, TailwindCSS, PostCSS, CSS Modules, GSAP, ThreeJS, Waypoints, Intersection Observer, Angular Forms, NgRx, ArcGIS SDK for JS, AG Grid, Chart.js
Backend Technologies: Node.js, ASP.NET
Programming Languages: TypeScript, JavaScript, C#, F#, HTML, CSS
Programming Paradigms: Functional programming, Metadata-Driven Architecture, Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
Databases and ORMs: SQL Server, MongoDB, Postgres, MySQL, Entity Framework, TypeORM, REST APIs, GraphQL
Packaging/Distribution: App Store, Google Play Store, npm Package Development, Package Versioning, Dependency Management
Testing and QA: MSTest, Karma, Jasmine, Mocha, Cypress, ESLint, TSLint, Roslyn analyzers

Project Management

More Buzzwords

Development Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, Kanban
Project/Task Management Tools: Azure DevOps, GitHub Projects, Trello
Responsibilities and Processes: Research and development, Core module maintenance, Migration of frameworks, Product planning, Time estimation, Risk identification, Code quality assurance, CI/CD processes

Data Visualization

Bringing Numbers to Life

Servers and Hosting: Ubuntu Linux, Windows Server, AWS, DigitalOcean, AWS S3, CloudFront, Netlify
CI/CD: Bitbucket Pipelines, AWS, Netlify, DeployBot, GitHub Actions

DevOps and Infrastructure

So many buzzwords

Servers and Hosting: Ubuntu Linux, Windows Server, AWS, DigitalOcean, AWS S3, CloudFront, Netlify
CI/CD: Bitbucket Pipelines, AWS, Netlify, DeployBot, GitHub Actions

Authentication & Security

My least favorite part

Authentication/Authorization: Okta, OAuth2

Third-Party Integration

These are fun tho...

SDKs/APIs: Google Maps, ArcGIS SDK, Zapier, SendGrid, Twilio, Google Analytics, HealthKit, Sentry, Mixpanel, Application Insights

E-Commerce

Helping you make money

Payment Processing: Custom workflows, Cart/checkout session handling, Coupon/discount/tax/shipping rate processing

Additional Skills

You won't find anywhere else*

Public Speaking
Rapid Prototyping
Technical Proofreading
Data Modeling

* okay, maybe you will

My Approach

How I work

Every project begins with a thorough understanding of the business context, ensuring that technical decisions align with real-world objectives. Whether it's a complex enterprise application or a streamlined e-commerce platform, I focus on delivering solutions that provide lasting value.

I'm not interested in projects that aren't helping make someone's life/job easier.

Beyond Code

Life outside the text editor

When I'm not immersed in code, you might find me spending time with my family, strumming a guitar, tending my garden, or visiting the farmer's market. With so much time spent looking at screens, I try to balance my time with activities that are good for the soul.

Let's Do it

It's free to ask

Ready to bring your digital vision to life? Let's have a conversation about your project over a coffee or short video call. Click the button below and let's explore how we can create something exceptional together.